Daily Prelims Notes 9 August 2020

August 9, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Table Of Contents

1. Black boxes

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Investigators have found the “black boxes” of the ill-fated Boeing 737-800 aircraft which get crashed at Kozhikode

Concept:

The black boxes are two orange metallic boxes containing the recorders which date back to the early 1950s, when, following plane crashes, investigators were unable to arrive a conclusive cause for the accidents and deemed it necessary to install the said recorders on aircraft.
In the initial days of the black box, the information was recorded on to a metal strip, which was then upgraded to magnetic drives succeeded by solid state memory chips.
Most aircraft are required to be equipped with two black boxes — the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) that record the information about a flight and help reconstruct the events leading to an aircraft accident.
While the CVR records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises, the flight data recorder records more than 80 different types of information such as altitude, airspeed, flight heading, vertical acceleration, pitch, roll, autopilot status etc.

Table top runaway

Tabletop runways are generally constructed by chopping off the top of a hill, and are often thought of as tricky for landings because of the lack of any margin for overshooting the runway.
In addition to the airports at Kozhikode and Mangaluru, the Lengpui airport in Mizoram, Pakyong airport in Sikkim, and Simla and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh are built on tabletops. Other tabletop airports outside India include Paro in Bhutan and Kathmandu in Nepal.

2. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

Subject: Government organisation

Context:

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are now a familiar sight at most of the natural calamities or man-made disasters in India.

Concept:

The Disaster Management Act has statutory provisions for constitution of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for the purpose of specialized response to natural and man-made disasters.
The practice of “proactive availability” of this Force to the States and that of “pre-positioning”, in a threatening disaster situations have immensely helped minimise damage, caused due to natural calamities in the country.
Besides the professionalism shown during rescue operations in floods and cyclones and collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) operations, NDRF has also acquired considerable expertise in facing CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological& Nuclear) challenges.
It is unique force across the country functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, within the overall command, control and leadership of the Director General, NDRF.

3. Foreign exchange reserves

Subject: Economy

Context:

India’s foreign exchange reserves jumped by a record $11.9 billion in the week ending July 31 to hit a fresh high of $534.5 billion, making it the fifth largest holder of reserves in the world.

Concept:

The Forex Reserves (‘foreign exchange reserves’) of an economy is its ‘foreign currency assets’ added with its gold reserves, SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) and Reserve Tranche in the IMF.
The RBI Act, 1934 provides the overarching legal framework for deployment of reserves in different foreign currency assets and gold.
Of total foreign currency assets in forex, 64 per cent is held in the securities like Treasury bills of foreign countries, 28 per cent is deposited in foreign central banks and 7.4 per cent is also deposited in commercial banks abroad, according to the RBI data.
India also held 653.01 tonnes of gold as of March 2020, which are held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements as well as in domestic

Need for forex:

The International Monetary Fund says official foreign exchange reserves are held in support of a range of objectives like supporting and maintaining confidence in the policies for monetary and exchange rate management including the capacity to intervene in support of the national or union currency. It will also limit external vulnerability by maintaining foreign currency liquidity to absorb shocks during times of crisis or when access to borrowing is curtailed.

Reason for rise

FPI inflows
Dip in crude oil prices
Import savings
FDI inflows
Dip in gold imports

4. Himalayan earth quake

Subject: Geography

Context:

Geophysicist Roger Bilham has said Himalayas the only place in the world where a large quake can occur on land

Concept:

In both C-C convergence and C-O convergence, there is the formation of fold mountains and frequent occurrence of earthquakes.
This is because of the sudden release of friction between the subducting plate and up thrust plate.
In C-C convergence, the denser plate pushes into the less dense plate creating a fault zone along the margin.
Further collision leads to the sudden release of energy along this fault zone generating disastrous earthquakes (shallow-focus earthquakes).
Volcanism is observed only in C-O convergence and is almost absent in C-C convergence.

5. Microlithic age and iron age

Subject: History

Context:

Several stone tools and artefacts belonging to microlithic age and iron age were found at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Manuthu – Paraipatti village near Usilampatti block in Madurai

Concept:

Microlithic age

The Mesolithic Age, also known as Middle Stone Age, was the second part of the Stone Age.
In India, it spanned from 9,000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C.
This age is characterized by the appearance of Microliths (small bladed stone tools).
The Mesolithic Age was a transitional phase between the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age.
The people of this age lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering; later on they also domesticated animals.

6. Marudu brothers

Subject: History

Context:

The Archaeology Department of the Tamil Nadu State government has undertaken the restoration work of fort of the Marudu Brothers at AranmanaiSiruvayal in Sivaganga district.

Concept:

The elder brother was called PeriyaMarudu (VellaMarudhu) and the younger brother ChinnaMarudu. ChinnaMarudu was more popular and was called MaruduPandiyan.
In 1772 the Nawab of Arcot laid seige of Sivaganga and captured it.
MuthuVaduganathaPeriaUdayaDevar, died in battle.
However after a few months Sivaganga was re-captured by Marudu Brothers and PeriyaMarudu was enthroned as the ruler. ChinnaMarudu acted as his adviser.
Due to the terrorist activities against British, he was called as “Lion of Sivaganga”.
In the later half of the eighteenth century the rebellion against the British was carried by Marudu Brothers in South India.

7. CAG

Subject: Polity

Context:

Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor GC Murmu sworn-in as India’s 14th CAG

Concept:

The Constitution of India (Article 148) provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department. He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels—the Centre and the state.
His duty is to uphold the Constitution of India and laws of Parliament in the field of financial administration.
The CAG is appointed by the president of India by a warrant under his hand and seal.
He holds office for a period of six years or upto the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
He canresign any time from his office by addressing the resignation letter to the president. He can also beremoved by the president on same grounds and in the same manner as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The Constitution (Article 149) authorises the Parliament to prescribe the duties and powers of the CAG in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the states and of any other authority or body.
Accordingly, the Parliament enacted the CAG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) act, 1971. This Act was amended in 1976 to separate accounts from audit in the Central government.

8. Seed bombs

Subject: Environment

Context:

Odisha’sAthagarh Forest Division has begun casting seed balls inside different reserve forest areas to enrich food stock for wild elephants.

Concept:

Seed balls, also known as “earth balls” consist of a variety of different seeds rolled within a ball of clay. Various additives may be included, such as humus or compost.
These are placed around the seeds, at the center of the ball, to provide microbial inoculants.
Cotton-fibres or liquefied paper are sometimes mixed into the clay in order to strengthen it, or liquefied paper mash coated on the outside to further protect the clay ball during sowing by throwing, or in particularly harsh habitats.

9. Subordinate Legislation

Subject: Polity

Context:

Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that the Environment Impact Assessment Act (EIA) 2020 as a subordinate legislation violates the parent Environment Protection Act.

Concept:

Under the general law, the term ‘subordinate legislation’ is often used to refer to a legislative instrument made by an entity under a power delegated to the entity by the Parliament.
It can be necessary for legislative power to be delegated for any of the following reasons:
- to save pressure on parliamentary time
- the legislation is too technical or detailed to be suitable for parliamentary consideration
- to deal with rapidly changing or uncertain situations
- to allow for swift action in the case of an emergency.